System for supply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel engines

ABSTRACT

A system for supply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel engine includes an electronic control unit where the control unit governs a petrol/diesel pump, a supplementary petrol/diesel pump, a petrol/diesel-delivery solenoid vale, LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve, LPG/ammonia pump, a supplementary LPG/ammonia pump, a LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid vale and a LPG/ammonia injector, such that only one of LPG/ammonia and petrol/diesel is fed to the engine at any point in time, and a combination of i) LPG and petrol, ii) LPG and diesel, iii) ammonia and petrol, and iv) ammonia and diesel is never fed to the engine.

This application is a continuation reissue of application Ser. No.13/845,487, which is an application for reissue of U.S. Pat. No.8,180,556.

Manufacturers of petrol/diesel engines are currently increasinglyoriented towards direct-injection supply governed by electronic controlunits, which present increasingly sophisticated strategies necessaryboth for optimizing supply of the engines, thus easily obtaining thebest possible combustion and consequently also the lowest emissions ofunburnt particles in the exhaust, and because the catalytic convertersand probes with which they are provided could not function with enginesthe injection supply of which were not governed by an electronic controlunit.

Recently, on account of the high price of petrol and diesel, the tocontinuously increasing rate of pollution in particular in large urbanareas, and the resonance that environmental problems caused by pollutionare raising, there is an increasingly frequent demand for automobiles,including brand new ones, to have the possibility of being fuelled notonly by petrol/diesel also by LPG/ammonia.

The conversion to LPG/ammonia of these engines entails considerabledifficulties in so far as it is impossible to reproduce the strategiesof supply required thereby because they are equipped with particularinjectors that moreover function at very high pressures.

Given the demand, some manufacturers of systems have converteddirect-injection petrol engines to LPG in the gaseous phase, but toobtain their operation they are have had to resort to compromises, withconsequent anomalies dictated by the different strategies of operationin so far as the engine functions with LPG only at a given r.p.m.,whereas during idling or when the maximum power is required, the engineruns on petrol, thus rendering far from convenient conversion to LPG bycustomers.

The purpose of the present invention is a system that will enableconversion of direct-injection petrol/diesel engines to LPG/ammonia inthe liquid phase, using the same electronic control unit and the sameoriginal system of the vehicle, eliminating the operating faults towhich reference has been made.

The conversion to LPG/ammonia in the liquid phase as mentioned aboveentails in any case difficulties that arise both when travelling andduring starting of the engine.

In particular, with operation using LPG/ammonia the difficulties ofstarting are frequent when the engine has been turned off after a periodof operation with LPG/ammonia, since the high temperature of the enginecauses gasification of the liquid present within the high-pressure pump,rendering subsequent starting very problematical, if not impossible.

According to the present invention, the LPG/ammonia supply of the engineis obtained using the same electronic control unit and the same originalpetrol/diesel fuelling system of the vehicle by inserting a purposelyprovided adapter on the high-pressure pump, which enables, when theengine is fuelled with LPG/ammonia, prevention of gasification through apurposely provided duct for return of the liquid in excess, and byclosing, during operation with LPG/ammonia, inlet of the petrol/dieselto the high-pressure pump to which LPG/ammonia is sent in the liquidphase.

Closing of the passage of the petrol/diesel and opening of the passagefor delivery and return of the LPG/ammonia in the liquid phase, andobviously vice versa, are performed by means of appropriate devices,which can be grouped together in the distribution assembly, governedwith times and modalities purposely studied by a control unit forgoverning the switching strategies.

The control unit for governing the switching strategies moreovercontrols, in an automatic and programmed way, the devices that enablethe drawbacks of operation and in particular, as has been said, thedrawbacks that occur during switching of operation from petrol/diesel toLPG/ammonia during starting of the engine with LPG/ammonia and duringswitching of operation from LPG/ammonia to petrol/diesel to be overcome,whereas for application on diesel engines the control unit manages, viaan appropriate wiring, also the opening signal to be sent to theinjectors with a pre-set delay so as to guarantee that combustion, giventhe diversity of fuels, does not occur in advance.

The invention will now be described in a non-limiting embodiment,provided with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a view of the high-pressure LPG/liquid-ammonia system;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of operation of the LPG/ammonia to systemon direct-injection engines; and

FIG. 3 shows a variant of the high-pressure LPG/liquid-ammonia system.

According to said diagrams exemplifying the system, this isschematically made up of:

-   -   an electronic control unit for regulation and control of the        switching strategies (1);    -   a petrol/diesel tank provided on the vehicle (2);    -   a petrol/diesel pump provided on the vehicle (3);    -   one or more supplementary petrol/diesel pumps (4);    -   a petrol/diesel-delivery solenoid valve (5);    -   a petrol/diesel non-return valve (6);    -   an original high-pressure pump of the vehicle (7);    -   an LPG/ammonia pressure regulator (8);    -   an LPG/ammonia-return valve (9);    -   an additional radiator with cooling fan (10);    -   an LPG/ammonia non-return valve (11);    -   an LPG/ammonia tank (12);    -   an LPG/ammonia pump (13);    -   a LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14);    -   an LPG/ammonia non-return valve (15);    -   a supplementary LPG/ammonia injector (16);    -   original high-pressure injector rail (17) of the vehicle;    -   a door contact on the driver side (18);    -   a device on the high-pressure pump to enable return of the fuel        in excess to the tank during operation with LPG/ammonia (19);    -   an original electronic control unit (20) of the vehicle;    -   a distribution assembly with solenoid valves (21), in which the        devices for closing the passage of the petrol/diesel and opening        the passage for delivery and return of the LPG/ammonia in the        liquid phase, and vice versa, are grouped together;    -   a valve for discharge of the LPG/ammonia overpressure (26);    -   an LPG/ammonia supplementary pump (27); and    -   non-return valves (24), (25), (28);

According to the present invention, the original electronic control unit(20) of the vehicle manages, during operation of the engine, in the sameway strategies of carburation of both the petrol and the LPG/ammonia,governing the rail of the injectors (17) indistinctly and in the sameway according to the type of fuel selected, whereas, for operation ofthe diesel engine, the electronic control unit for regulation andcontrol of the switching strategies (1) manages, via the wiring (22),also the opening signal to be sent to the injectors with a pre-set delayso as to guarantee that the combustion, given the diversity of thefuels, does not occur in advance; it moreover activates one or more ofthe devices listed according to modalities of use and the operationsrequested by the driver.

In particular:

-   1) When switching of the supply from petrol/diesel to LPG/ammonia,    the electronic control unit for regulation and control of the    strategies (1) sends an enabling signal to the supply of the    LPG/ammonia pump (13) and to the LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve    (14) and, after a predetermined period of time, for example 2    seconds, deactivates the petrol/diesel pump (3), and supplies the    LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9).-   2) During starting of the engine that had previously been    functioning with LPG/ammonia supply, upon switching-on of the    dashboard the control unit (1) supplies the petrol-delivery solenoid    valve (5) and, after a certain period of time, for example 1 second,    for a predetermined period of time, for example 5 seconds, the    petrol/diesel pump (3), the supplementary petrol/diesel pump (4),    and the LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9) are automatically    activated; in this way, the gasified liquid is eliminated from the    circuit and in particular from the high-pressure pump (7). Once the    set time, for example 5 seconds, has elapsed the control unit (1)    deactivates the supplementary petrol/diesel pump (4) and the    LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9), keeping instead active for a    further period of time, for example 15 seconds, the    petrol/diesel-delivery solenoid valve (5) and the petrol/diesel pump    (3), ensuring operation of the engine with petrol/diesel. Upon    expiration of the predetermined time, the petrol/diesel-delivery    solenoid valve (5) and the pump (3) are deactivated, whereas the    LPG/ammonia pump (13), the LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14),    and the LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9) are activated. The    pulse to the control unit (1), to carry out the procedure described,    may also be imparted by the command from a contact (18) activated by    the opening of the door on the driver side, with the engine turned    off.-   3) During switching-off of the engine operating with LPG/ammonia,    the control unit (1) supplies for a predetermined period of time,    for example 6 seconds, the petrol/diesel-delivery solenoid valve    (5), and, after 1 second, the petrol/diesel pump (3), the    supplementary petrol/diesel pump (4), and the LPG/ammonia-return    solenoid valve (9) are supplied for 5 seconds. Upon elapse of the 6    seconds, the petrol/diesel-delivery solenoid valve (5), the    petrol/diesel pump (3), and the supplementary petrol/diesel pump (4)    are deactivated, whereas the LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9)    remains open for 120 seconds, to enable elimination of the LPG    imprisoned in the circuit of the high-pressure pump (7), preventing    any rise of the pressure of the LPG due to the heat and its    gasification, thus preparing the engine for petrol-fuelled starting.-   4) During switching of operation from LPG/ammonia to petrol/diesel,    the control unit (1) activates the petrol/diesel-delivery solenoid    valve (5) and, after 1 second, activates the petrol/diesel pump (3)    and the supplementary petrol/diesel pump (4); it deactivates the    LPG/ammonia pump (13) and the LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve    (14), whilst to the LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9) is kept    active for 5 seconds, and, once this period has elapsed, is    deactivated simultaneously with the supplementary petrol/diesel pump    (4)

The procedures described, of which the pulses of activation anddeactivation and the successions of the steps and the timing aregoverned by the control unit (1) for regulation and control of theswitching strategies, enable operation of the engine with LPG/ammoniaand passage of supply from LPG/ammonia to petrol/diesel, and vice versa,optimizing operation and, in particular starting in any climaticcondition.

There should in any case be highlighted the considerable importance ofthe supplementary petrol/diesel pump (4), which, working simultaneouslywith the petrol/diesel pump (3) of the vehicle, enables rise of thepressure of the petrol/diesel and free from the LPG/ammonia thehigh-pressure pump (7) and the circuit in general, thus preventing itsgasification and enabling starting of the engine in any climaticcondition.

To make up for the diversity of the two fuels and solve the problem oflean carburation due to the difference of the specific weight of thefuels, the control unit (1) for regulation and control of the switchingstrategies automatically manages the LPG/ammonia supplementary injector(16) so as to deliver the amount of fuel that is lacking according tothe r.p.m. and the demand of the engine for proper carburation.

The same result of delivering the amount of fuel that is lackingaccording to the r.p.m. and the demand of the engine for propercarburation is obtained by managing with the control unit (1) forregulation and control of the switching strategies the signal of thefuel high-pressure sensor (23) so as to regulate the right amount offuel to the engine.

In the same way, to make up for the difference between the two fuels andsolve the problem of lean carburation due to the difference of thespecific weight of the fuels, the control unit (1) for regulation andcontrol of the switching strategies automatically manages the supplyvoltage to the LPG/ammonia pump (13), consequently varying the power ofthe pump to and the pressure of the LPG/ammonia so as to deliver theamount of fuel that is lacking according to the r.p.m. and the demand ofthe engine for proper carburation.

In order to increase the reliability of the system during operation withLPG at high external temperatures, there is envisaged installation of aradiator equipped with an electric fan connected to the control unit (1)through an outlet activated by the control unit (1) itself when theengine turns at a rate of less than or equal to 1 000 r.p.m. Thesupplementary radiator cools the LPG, thus preventing any increase ofthe pressure in the tank (12), as well as preventing any problems ofoverpressure in the supply circuit and the drawbacks in supply onaccount of the high pressure in the tank itself.

To obtain return of the LPG/ammonia in excess to the tank and guaranteecirculation thereof, as has already been said, associated to thehigh-pressure pump (7) is the adapter device (19), which preventsgasification and ensures proper carburation of the engine.

In a variant of the invention (illustrated in FIG. 3), there is provideda further supplementary LPG/ammonia pump (27) on the LPG/ammonia supplyline, designed to eliminate from the LPG/ammonia supply circuit thepossible presence of gasified LPG/ammonia in order to enable starting ofthe engine previously functioning with LPG/ammonia supply directly withLPG/ammonia, without the need to start it with petrol/diesel, asindicated to the preceding point 2.

Advantageously, in this variant of the invention, operation according tothe preceding point 3, regarding switching-off of the engine functioningwith LPG/ammonia supply, is no longer necessary.

In this regard, it should be noted that, in the variant of the inventionbeing described, equipped with supplementary LPG/ammonia pump (27),during starting of the engine previously functioning with LPG/ammoniasupply, upon switching-on of the dashboard the control unit (1)activates the supplementary LPG/ammonia pump (27) and the LPG/ammoniapump (13), and the LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14) and theLPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9).

The pulse to the control unit (1), in order to carry out the proceduredescribed, can also be imparted—instead of by switching-on of thedashboard—by the command from a contact (18) activated by opening of thedoor on the driver side, with the engine turned off. In the latter case,if the engine is not turned on within a given time, it is envisaged thatswitching-on of the dashboard replicates the operation corresponding toactivation of the aforesaid LPG/ammonia pumps.

LIST OF THE MAIN COMPONENTS

-   -   1 Electronic control unit for regulation and control of        switching strategies    -   2 Petrol/diesel tank    -   3 Petrol/diesel pump    -   4 Supplementary petrol/diesel pump    -   5 Petrol/diesel-delivery solenoid valve    -   6 Petrol/diesel non-return valve    -   7 High-pressure pump    -   8 Pressure regulator    -   9 LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve    -   10 Radiator with fan    -   11 Non-return valve    -   12 LPG/ammonia tank    -   13 LPG/ammonia pump    -   14 LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve    -   15 LPG/ammonia non-return servo valve    -   16 Supplementary injector    -   17 Petrol/LPG/diesel/ammonia injector rail    -   18 Door-contact device    -   19 Return device    -   20 Original vehicle control unit    -   21 Distribution assembly with solenoid valves    -   22 Wiring present for application on diesel engine    -   23 High-pressure sensor    -   24 Petrol/diesel non-return valve to supplementary pump    -   25 Petrol/diesel non-return valve    -   26 LPG/ammonia-overpressure discharge valve    -   27 Supplementary LPG/ammonia pump    -   28 LPG/ammonia non-return valve

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for supply of LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines, comprising: an electroniccontrol unit for regulation and control of switching strategies (1); apetrol/diesel tank provided on the vehicle (2); a petrol/diesel pumpprovided on the vehicle (3); one or more supplementary petrol/dieselpumps (4); a petrol/diesel-delivery solenoid valve (5); a petrol/dieselnon-return valve (6); an original high-pressure pump of the vehicle (7);an LPG/ammonia pressure regulator (8); an LPG/ammonia-return valve (9);an additional radiator with cooling fan (10); an LPG/ammonia non-returnvalve (11); an LPG/ammonia tank (12); an LPG/ammonia pump (13); anLPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14); an LPG/ammonia non-returnvalve (15); a supplementary LPG/ammonia injector (16); an originalhigh-pressure injector rail (17) of the vehicle; an adapter (19)connected to the high-pressure pump (7), which adapter (19) enablescirculation and return of the LPG/ammonia to the tank; an originalelectronic control unit (20) of the vehicle; and a distribution assemblywith solenoid valves (21), which combines the devices for opening thepassage for delivery and return of the LPG/ammonia in the liquid phase;in which with modalities, succession, and times pre-set according to:the mode of operation of the engine with LPG/ammonia or petrol/diesel,switching of operation of the engine with LPG/ammonia fuelling orpetrol/diesel fuelling, arrest of the engine, and the modalitiesrequested by the driver, the control unit (1) governs the petrol/dieselpump (3), the supplementary petrol/diesel pump (4), thepetrol/diesel-delivery solenoid valve (5), the LPG/ammonia-returnsolenoid valve (9), the LPG/ammonia pump (13), the supplementaryLPG/ammonia pump (27), the LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14), andthe LPG/ammonia injector (16), wherein, only one of LPG/ammonia andpetrol/diesel is fed to the engine at any point in time, and acombination of i) LPG and petrol, ii) LPG and diesel, iii) ammonia andpetrol, and iv) ammonia and diesel is never fed to the engine.
 2. Thesystem for supply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or dieselengines according to claim 1, characterized in that the supplementarypetrol/diesel pump (4) operating in combination with the petrol/dieselpump (3) provided on the vehicle increases the pressure of thepetrol/diesel fuel forcing the outflow of the gas present in thehigh-pressure pump (7) and preparing the system for the subsequentstarting.
 3. The system for supply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injectionpetrol or diesel engines according to claim 1, characterized in that thecontrol unit (1) for regulation and control of the switching strategies,during switching of the supply from petrol/diesel to LPG/ammonia, sendsan enabling signal to the supply of the LPG/ammonia pump (13) and to theLPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14), and after a predeterminedperiod of time, deactivates the petrol/diesel pump (3) and supplies theLPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9).
 4. The system for supply ofLPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel engines according toclaim 1, characterized in that the control unit (1) for regulation andcontrol of the switching strategies, during starting of the engine withLPG/ammonia fuelling, supplies the petrol-delivery solenoid valve (5),and, after a certain period of time, the petrol/diesel pump (3), thesupplementary petrol/diesel pump (4), and the LPG/ammonia-returnsolenoid valve (9) are automatically activated for a predeterminedperiod of time; in this way, the gasified liquid is eliminated from thecircuit and in particular from the high-pressure pump (7); once the settime, has elapsed the control unit (1) deactivates the supplementarypetrol/diesel pump (4) and the LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9),keeping, instead, active for a further period of time, thepetrol/diesel-delivery solenoid valve (5) and the petrol/diesel pump(3), ensuring operation of the engine with petrol/diesel fuelling; uponexpiration of the predetermined time the petrol/diesel-delivery solenoidvalve (5) and the pump (3) are deactivated, whilst the LPG/ammonia pump(13), the LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14), and theLPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9) are activated.
 5. The system forsupply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel enginesaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (1) forregulation and control of the switching strategies, during switching-offof the engine with LPG/ammonia fuelling, supplies for a predeterminedperiod of time, the petrol-delivery solenoid valve (5), and, after 1second, the petrol/diesel pump (3), the supplementary petrol pump (4),and the LPG-return solenoid valve (9) are supplied for 5 seconds; uponelapse of the 6 seconds, the petrol-delivery solenoid valve (5), thepetrol pump (3) and the supplementary petrol pump (4) are deactivated,whilst the LPG-return solenoid valve (9) remains open for 120 seconds toenable outflow of the LPG imprisoned in the circuit of the high-pressurepump, thus preventing, on account of the heat of the engine, any rise ofthe pressure and its gasification, preparing the engine forpetrol/diesel-fuelled starting.
 6. The system for supply of LPG/ammoniafor direct-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 1,characterized in that the control unit (1) for regulation and control ofthe switching strategies, during switching of operation from LPG/ammoniato petrol/diesel, activates the petrol-delivery solenoid valve (5) and,after 1 second, activates the supplementary petrol pump (4); itdeactivates the LPG pump (13) and the LPG-delivery solenoid valve (14),whilst the LPG-return solenoid valve (9) is kept active for 2 seconds,after which it is deactivated simultaneously with the supplementarypetrol/diesel pump (4).
 7. The system for supply of LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 1,characterized in that, to make up for differences between fuels andsolve lean carburation due to differences of the specific weight offuels, the control unit (1) for regulation and control of the switchingstrategies automatically manages the supplementary injector (16) of theLPG/ammonia so as to deliver the amount of fuel that is lackingaccording to the r.p.m, and the demand of the engine for propercarburation.
 8. The system for supply of LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 1,characterized in that, to make up for differences between fuels andsolve lean carburation due to differences of the specific weight offuels, the control unit (1) for regulation and control of the switchingstrategies automatically manages the current of the LPG/ammonia pump(13) by varying the voltage and consequently the power of the pump so asto supply the pressure suitable for delivery of the amount of fuelnecessary according to the r.p.m, and the demand of the engine forproper carburation.
 9. The system for supply of LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 1,characterized in that connected to the high-pressure pump (7) is theadapter device (19), which enables circulation and return of the liquidin excess during operation with LPG/ammonia preventing gasificationthereof and ensuring optimal carburation.
 10. The system for supply ofLPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel engines according toclaim 5, characterized in that the pulse to the control unit (1) forcarrying out the procedure during switching-off of the engine withLPG/ammonia-fuelled operation is issued by the command for arrest of theengine.
 11. The system for supply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injectionpetrol or diesel engines according to claim 4, characterized in that thepulse to the control unit (1) for carrying out the procedure duringstarting of the engine with LPG/ammonia-fuelled operation is issued by apurposely provided contact (18), which signals opening of the door onthe driver side with the engine turned off, instead of by switching-onof the dashboard.
 12. The system for supply of LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 1,characterized in that there is envisaged installation of a radiatorequipped with an electric fan connected to the control unit (1) throughan output activated by the control unit (1) itself when the engine turnsat a rate of less than or equal to 1000 r.p.m.; the supplementaryradiator has the function of cooling the LPG, thus preventing increaseof the pressure in the tank (12), preventing the problems ofoverpressure in the supply circuit and the drawbacks in supply onaccount of the high pressure in the tank itself.
 13. The system forsupply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel enginesaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the original electroniccontrol unit (20) of the vehicle manages, during operation, in the sameway the strategies of carburation of both the petrol/diesel and theLPG/ammonia, governing the rail of the injectors (17) indistinctly andin the same way according to the type of fuel selected.
 14. The systemfor supply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel enginesaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit (1) forregulation and control of the switching strategies on diesel enginesmanages via a wiring (22) also the opening signal to be sent to theinjectors with a pre-set delay so as to guarantee that the combustion,given the diversity of the fuels, does not occur in advance.
 15. Thesystem for supply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or dieselengines according to claim 1, characterized in that the devices fordistribution of the corresponding fuels are inserted in a singledistribution assembly (21).
 16. The system for supply of LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 1,characterized in that it further comprises a supplementary LPG/ammoniapump (27) on the LPG/ammonia supply line.
 17. The system for supply ofLPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel engines according toclaim 16, characterized in that, during starting of the engine withLPG/ammonia fuelling, the control unit (1) for regulation and control ofthe switching strategies activates, for a given time, the supplementaryLPG/ammonia pump (27) and the LPG/ammonia pump (13), and theLPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14) and the LPG/ammonia-returnsolenoid valve (9).
 18. The system for supply of LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 16,characterized in that, in the case where the control unit (1) forregulation and control of the switching strategies is set for fuellingthe engine with LPG/ammonia, a purposely provided contact (18) signalsopening of the door on the driver side with the engine turned off to thecontrol unit (1), which, appropriately programmed, activates immediatelythe supplementary LPG/ammonia pump (27), the LPG/ammonia pump (13), theLPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14), and the LPG/ammonia-returnsolenoid valve (9), for a programmed time; and in that, after saidprogrammed time, said operation is performed by switching-on of thedashboard.
 19. The system for supply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injectionpetrol or diesel engines according to claim 1, characterized in that itfurther comprises a valve for discharge of the LPG/ammonia overpressure(26).
 20. The system for supply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injectionpetrol or diesel engines according to claim 1, characterized in thatsaid distribution assembly (21) further comprises non-return valves (24,25, 28).
 21. A system for supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injectionpetrol or diesel engines of vehicles comprising a petrol/diesel tank(2), a petrol/diesel pump (3), an original high-pressure pump (7), anoriginal high-pressure injector rail (17) and an original electroniccontrol unit (20); said system comprising: an electronic control unitfor regulation and control of switching strategies (1); one or moresupplementary petrol/diesel pumps (4); an LPG/ammonia tank (12); anLPG/ammonia pump (13); a return adaptor device (19) connected to thehigh-pressure pump (7), which return adaptor device (19) enablescirculation and return of the LPG/ammonia to the tank; and adistribution assembly with solenoid valves (21), which combines thedevices for opening the passage for delivery and return of theLPG/ammonia in the liquid phase or petrol/diesel; in which withmodalities, succession, and times pre-set according to: the mode ofoperation of the engine with LPG/ammonia or petrol/diesel, switching ofoperation of the engine with LPG/ammonia fuelling or petrol/dieselfuelling, arrest of the engine, and the modalities requested by thedriver, the control unit (1) governs the supplementary petrol/dieselpump (4), the distribution assembly with solenoid valves (21) and theLPG/ammonia pump (13), wherein, only one of LPG/ammonia andpetrol/diesel is fed to the engine at any point in time, and acombination of i) LPG and petrol, ii) LPG and diesel, iii) ammonia andpetrol, and iv) ammonia and diesel is never fed to the engine.
 22. Thesystem for supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or dieselengines according to claim 21, characterized in that the supplementarypetrol/diesel pump (4) operating in combination with the petrol/dieselpump (3) provided on the vehicle increases the pressure of thepetrol/diesel fuel forcing the outflow of the gas present in thehigh-pressure pump (7) and preparing the system for the subsequentstarting.
 23. The system for supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injectionpetrol or diesel engines according to claim 21, characterized in thatthe control unit (1) for regulation and control of the switchingstrategies, during switching of the supply from petrol/diesel toLPG/ammonia, sends an enabling signal to the supply of the LPG/ammoniapump (13) and to the LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14), and aftera predetermined period of time, deactivates the petrol/diesel pump (3)and supplies the LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9).
 24. The systemfor supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel enginesaccording to claim 21, characterized in that the control unit (1) forregulation and control of the switching strategies, during starting ofthe engine with LPG/ammonia fuelling, supplies the petrol-deliverysolenoid valve (5), and, after a certain period of time, thepetrol/diesel pump (3), the supplementary petrol/diesel pump (4), andthe LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9) are automatically activatedfor a predetermined period of time; in this way, the gasified liquid iseliminated from the circuit and in particular from the high-pressurepump (7); once the set time, has elapsed the control unit (1)deactivates the supplementary petrol/diesel pump (4) and theLPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9), keeping, instead, active for afurther period of time, the petrol/diesel-delivery solenoid valve (5)and the petrol/diesel pump (3), ensuring operation of the engine withpetrol/diesel fuelling; upon expiration of the predetermined time thepetrol/diesel-delivery solenoid valve (5) and the pump (3) aredeactivated, whilst the LPG/ammonia pump (13), the LPG/ammonia-deliverysolenoid valve (14), and the LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve (9) areactivated.
 25. The system for supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injectionpetrol or diesel engines according to claim 21, characterized in thatthe control unit (1) for regulation and control of the switchingstrategies, during switching-off of the engine with LPG/ammoniafuelling, supplies for a predetermined period of time, thepetrol-delivery solenoid valve (5), and, after 1 second, thepetrol/diesel pump (3), the supplementary petrol pump (4), and theLPG-return solenoid valve (9) are supplied for 5 seconds; upon elapse ofthe 6 seconds, the petrol-delivery solenoid valve (5), the petrol pump(3) and the supplementary petrol pump (4) are deactivated, whilst theLPG-return solenoid valve (9) remains open for 120 seconds to enableoutflow of the LPG imprisoned in the circuit of the high-pressure pump,thus preventing, on account of the heat of the engine, any rise of thepressure and its gasification, preparing the engine forpetrol/diesel-fuelled starting.
 26. The system for supplying LPG/ammoniafor direct-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 21,characterized in that the control unit (1) for regulation and control ofthe switching strategies, during switching of operation from LPG/ammoniato petrol/diesel, activates the petrol-delivery solenoid valve (5) and,after 1 second, activates the supplementary petrol pump (4); itdeactivates the LPG pump (13) and the LPG-delivery solenoid valve (14),whilst the LPG-return solenoid valve (9) is kept active for example for2 seconds, after which it is deactivated simultaneously with thesupplementary petrol/diesel pump (4).
 27. The system for supplyingLPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel engines according toclaim 21, characterized in that connected to the high-pressure pump (7)is the return adapter device (19), which enables circulation and returnof the liquid in excess during operation with LPG/ammonia preventinggasification thereof and ensuring optimal carburation.
 28. The systemfor supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel enginesaccording to claim 25, characterized in that a pulse to the control unit(1) for carrying out the procedure during switching-off of the enginewith LPG/ammonia-fuelled operation is issued by the command for arrestof the engine.
 29. The system for supplying LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 24,characterized in that a pulse to the control unit (1) for carrying outthe procedure during starting of the engine with LPG/ammonia-fuelledoperation is issued by a purposely provided contact (18), which signalsopening of the door on the driver side with the engine turned off,instead of by switching-on of the dashboard.
 30. The system forsupplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel enginesaccording to claim 21, characterized in that there is installation of aradiator equipped with an electric fan connected to the control unit (1)through an output activated by the control unit (1) itself when theengine turns at a rate of less than or equal to 1000 r.p.m.; theradiator has the function of cooling the LPG, thus preventing increaseof the pressure in the tank (12), preventing the problems ofoverpressure in the supply circuit and the drawbacks in supply onaccount of the high pressure in the tank itself.
 31. The system forsupplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel enginesaccording to claim 21, characterized in that the original electroniccontrol unit (20) of the vehicle manages, during operation, in the sameway the strategies of carburation of both the petrol/diesel and theLPG/ammonia, governing the rail of the injectors (17) indistinctly andin the same way according to the type of fuel selected.
 32. The systemfor supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel enginesaccording to claim 21, characterized in that the control unit (1) forregulation and control of the switching strategies on diesel enginesmanages via a wiring (22) also the opening signal to be sent to theinjectors with a pre-set delay so as to guarantee that the combustion,given the diversity of the fuels, does not occur in advance.
 33. Thesystem for supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or dieselengines according to claim 21, characterized in that the devices fordistribution of the corresponding fuels are inserted in a singledistribution assembly (21).
 34. The system for supplying LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 21,characterized in that it further comprises a supplementary LPG/ammoniapump (27) on the LPG/ammonia supply line.
 35. The system for supplyingLPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel engines according toclaim 34, characterized in that, during starting of the engine withLPG/ammonia fuelling, the control unit (1) for regulation and control ofthe switching strategies activates, for a given time, the supplementaryLPG/ammonia pump (27) and the LPG/ammonia pump (13), and theLPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14) and the LPG/ammonia-returnsolenoid valve (9).
 36. The system for supplying LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 34,characterized in that, in the case where the control unit (1) forregulation and control of the switching strategies is set for fuellingthe engine with LPG/ammonia, a purposely provided contact (18) signalsopening of the door on the driver side with the engine turned off to thecontrol unit (1), which, appropriately programmed, activates immediatelythe supplementary LPG/ammonia pump (27), the LPG/ammonia pump (13), theLPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve (14), and the LPG/ammonia-returnsolenoid valve (9), for a programmed time; and in that, after saidprogrammed time, said operation is performed by switching-on of thedashboard.
 37. The system for supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injectionpetrol or diesel engines according to claim 21, characterized in that itfurther comprises a valve for discharge of the LPG/ammonia overpressure(26).
 38. The system for supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injectionpetrol or diesel engines according to claim 21, characterized in thatsaid distribution assembly (21) further comprises non-return valves (24,25, 28).
 39. The system for supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injectionpetrol or diesel engines according to claim 21, characterized in thatsaid means for controlling delivery of the amount of fuel that islacking according to the r.p.m. and the demand of the engine for propercarburation comprise a supplementary LPG/ammonia injector (16) that isautomatically managed by the control unit for regulation and control ofthe strategies (1).
 40. The system for supplying LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 21,characterized in that said means for controlling delivery of the amountof fuel that is lacking according to the r.p.m. and the demand of theengine for proper carburation comprise a fuel high-pressure sensor (23)whose signal is managed by the control unit for regulation and controlof the strategies (1).
 41. The system for supplying LPG/ammonia fordirect-injection petrol or diesel engines according to claim 21,characterized in that said system further comprises means (16; 23) forcontrolling delivery of the amount of fuel that is lacking according tothe r.p.m. and the demand of the engine for proper carburetion.
 42. Thesystem for supplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or dieselengines according to claim 21, characterized in that said distributionassembly with solenoid valves (21) comprises: a petrol/diesel-deliverysolenoid valve (5); a petrol/diesel non-return valve (6); anLPG/ammonia-return valve (9); an LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid valve(14) and an LPG/ammonia non-return valve (15).
 43. The system forsupplying LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel enginesaccording to claim 21, characterized in that said system comprises anLPG/ammonia non-return valve (11).